If you're going to a caravan park, you should be alright, I think. A friend of mine had a similar tent at a campground and was fine.

I have another friend who bought a Kathmandu brand hiking tent and it tore the second time he used it. But it might have just been that particular one that was bad quality.

There's a few brands that sell big tents with 3 rooms now, including Oztrail and Coleman. Especially Oztrail would be a cheaper option, and I believe it gets good reviews. Have a look at some online camping stores maybe?

Hi,I have an earlier version of this oztrail tent.http://www.downundercamping.com.au/prod ... 860&page=1It is a great tent. I've never had any real problems with it. Fairly easy to set up and the posts are colour coded. This new version has more windows and better ventilation than mine. In the oztrail, the end rooms are also bigger than a lot of other brands similar in shape. You get more head height and usable space. Go to a real store first and check out a few tents then go online.

Most caravan parks will have sites to accommodate this size tent. Make sure you let them know cos if you ask for an overnight tent site, they can often be too small. Though I can't imagine that you'd set up for one night only.

Hmmm now you're testing my memory.I would think that if you can afford to get a canvas tent, you will fair better and feel more safe in bad weather. I'm sure I've been in some storms in the oztrail but it's been awhile so I can't remember.If the weather is that bad, no tent will be safe.

http://www.oztrail.com.au/WebPage.gtl?P ... roup=CABINI liked the look of this one but never got to see it in real life. I think it would be easy enough to put up, probably easier than the cabin style tents. But after having done research on canvas, I wouldn't buy anything made of ripstop canvas.

It didn't handle the big winds very well and taking it to the Cape would really give it a working out.

I tend to agree with Sienna and if the budget allows go for the canvas option. A family next to us last Xmas survived a big storm unscathed while the rest of the tents around them were flattened. Just a thought.

I'd second the canvas option too. Oztrail are actually quite reasonably priced, but still a thinner canvas than the more expensive canvas tents. However, unless you get the 'touring' tents, the traditional canvas tents do take considerably longer to set up and take down.

I've had a Coleman dome tent in the past which leaked during a heavy downpour.

Thanks again for all the replies; I'm tending to shy away from the canvas tents since I've heard that they are more effort to maintain, as well as taking longer to put up and down. And, only a small fraction of our camping is likely to be in real monsoon weather :-)

My gut instinct is saying that the Kathmandu tent looks like a decent option; it seems at least as well built as the Coleman and Black Wolf, and the design would work well for our family. I'm still a little nervous that it will be too big for some camping sites - but I'll just have to plan well and call ahead to ensure that there is enough space in the places we are going to stay!

Have a wonderful christmas everyone, and I'll report back in a few months to let you know how I go...